Witness: ‘I heard shots and saw several cops’

ASHEBORO — A suspect who was involved in a shooting with an Asheboro police sergeant Monday night has been identified as the man who barricaded himself in a house on Peachtree neighborhood three years ago in a standoff with police.

Daniel Schexnider, 25, of Asheboro, was wounded in the encounter Monday night and was transported to Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro. His condition was not known by press-time Tuesday.

According to a press release from Lt. Col Mark Lineberry, officers were dispatched at 11:11 p.m. Monday to the area of 2050 N. Fayetteville St. involving some type of dispute. An officer then spotted a crashed vehicle in the same area and encountered a man believed to be involved in the accident. The suspect, identified as Schexnider, was armed with a gun. The man fired at the officer and the officer returned fire and struck the suspect, the release stated.

Schexnider was found a short distance away from the scene and apprehended. He was transported to Moses Cone by EMS.

The officer involved in the shooting was not injured. He was not identified, other than to say he holds the rank of master sergeant and has over 22 years of law enforcement experience.

The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation has assumed responsibility of the investigation, which is routine when an officer is involved in a shooting.

On July 16, 2014, Asheboro Police’s SWAT team responded to a home on Little Gate Drive where a man had barricaded himself and a teenage girl inside. He was reported to have a shotgun and shots were fired. After several hours, the situation was resolved without injury to anyone.

The suspect was identified as Daniel Eric Schexnider, then 21. He was subsequently charged with assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm and discharging a firearm in an enclosure. At that time, according to court records, he was on probation for assault by pointing a gun, assault and reckless driving.

In the latest incident, Asheboro Police remained at the scene Tuesday morning reconstructing the car crash. The N.C. Department of Transportation, per the department’s request, shut down North Fayetteville Street (Business 220) between Central Avenue north to Yzex Street.

Jennifer Davidson and her boyfriend, Scott Moffitt, live near the scene, on U.S. 220 Business near Sunrise Avenue. They were awakened about 11 p.m. Monday.

“I heard a crash and said, ‘Let’s get up,’ ” Davidson said. At that point, she said, Moffitt went outside to check their outbuilding, where they have equipment stored.

“Jennifer woke me up and thought somebody was messing around,” said Moffitt. “I went outside and checked the front of the outbuilding. Then I heard a male and a female screaming. I went around to the front of the house and saw two cop cars coming to a stop.

Moffitt said he had heard the man say, “I’ll show you my rifle,” before gunshots rang out.

“I heard shots and saw several cops with shields trying to get the shooter” who was fleeing. “He ended up at my back neighbor’s house,” said Moffitt, adding that his neighbor later told him that the man knocked on his door and said, “Please help me.”

It was there that officers arrested the shooting suspect, Moffitt said.